Prominent opposition leaders to unite on stage for Siddaramaiah’s swearing-in ceremony

Prominent opposition leaders and Chief Ministers from Congress-ruled states are set to gather for the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister and D K Shivakumar as Deputy Chief Minister.

As per a report by PTI, the event aims to foster opposition unity in preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections next year. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti attends the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected Karnataka Government in Bengaluru.

Swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected Karnataka Government to be held at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

Eight newly-elected legislators are set to take oath as Ministers along with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Prominent among those who will be the star attractions of the event are Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and former Jammu & Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah, PTI noted citing sources.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not be present at the event held at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, making her absence notable.

Former Union Minister M Veerappa Moily mentioned that the swearing-in ceremony could serve as a platform to showcase opposition unity, as well as demonstrate their strength and solidarity.

According to sources, Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge has extended invitations to leaders of various political parties including JMM, RJD, Shiv Sena, SP, PDP, CPI(M), CPI, MDMK, RSP, CPI(ML), VCK, RLD, Kerala Congress, and IUML to attend the ceremony.

Banerjee has designated TMC Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar for the programme. "Banerjee skipping the event has come as some kind of a dampener, especially after her recent statement that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, her party will support the Congress where it is strong," a Congress leader said.

"Wherever the Congress is strong, let them fight. We will give them support; there is nothing wrong (in that). But they also have to support other political parties," Banerjee said recently. Her statement came soon after Congress scored an emphatic victory over the BJP in the southern state bagging 135 seats in the 224-member Assembly.

"I have been invited by the Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge). It (Karnataka Assembly poll) was an important election. Also, I have an old friendship with him (Siddaramaiah). I will be going tomorrow," Nitish Kumar told reporters in Darbhanga on Friday.

In response to persistent inquiries about a meeting of opposition leaders proposed by Mamata Banerjee to be held in Bihar, Kumar urged journalists to exercise patience and refrain from jumping to conclusions.

"Let me come back from the function tomorrow. We will take a call in due course," said the JD(U) supremo, who had hinted that the meeting could be held after the election in the southern state.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of Samajwadi Party (SP), has announced that he will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka's chief minister-elect Siddaramaiah, according to a party spokesperson.

(With inputs from PTI)